Shogun parents guide: Why you shouldn't let your kids watch the historical drama, explained

Shogun is not one of those shows you throw on in the living room while there are kids around. It looks stunning, yes, but if you are a parent wondering whether this historical drama is safe for younger kids, the answer is no. Not even close.

This parent's guide breaks it all down clearly right here, just for you. The show earns its TV-MA rating, and it makes perfect sense as to why. The show is intense, extremely graphic, and heavy in ways that kids are simply not just ready for.

Why Shogun's violence crosses the line for younger kids

If there is one thing that makes Shogun a hard pass for kids, it is the extreme amount of violence the show has to offer. The violence here is not the blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of violence, but actual, intense, proper dread that might just scare the younger ones.

As far as the show is concerned, it is set in feudal Japan, and this setting does not go easy on what the world and Japan looked like back then. Back in those days, death was extremely frequent, brutal, and a lot of the time shown heavily on screen.

We have characters that get knifed, with their throats all being slit into two, the heads being cut off and severed, and body parts being torn apart in the most literal way possible.

At one point, men and horses are blown to pieces, with blood flying across the screen. There are also scenes built only and only around suffering. A man is boiled alive. You hear his screams while the show cuts between other characters waiting it out. You briefly see what the burns do to his body.

There is seppuku (Japanese ritualistic s*icide), shown more than once, where characters cut open their stomachs and their insides spill out before they are beheaded. Fingers are sliced off. A man slips, hits his head on a rock, and dies. Even when the camera looks away, the aftermath is there. Dismembered limbs. Blood everywhere.

For kids and even younger teens, this kind of violence is not just scary. It is overwhelming. Shogun does not frame these moments as quick shocks. It lets them sit. That alone makes it very clear who this show is not for.

Sex, language, and themes that make Shogun strictly adult viewing

Now, you need to keep in mind that Violence is only a small part of the story that is so big to tell. Shogun also includes a whole lot of sexual content, nudity, and language that pushes the series into adult grounds.

Sex workers are also seen on screen, and sex is shown without much hiding of what is happening. There are also degrading moments meant to show power and cruelty, like a character being urinated on as punishment or another character grabbing himself while insulting someone.

The language does not hold back either. Words like fuck, shit, bastard, prick, tits, bitch, and ass are used throughout. Some of it appears in subtitles, which might make it seem less obvious, but the meaning is still there. Kids read faster than we think, and the tone is impossible to miss.

Then there are the themes. Shogun deals with death as duty, honor through suicide, political betrayal, torture, and the idea that survival often comes at a terrible cost. A baby is sentenced to death off-screen to end a bloodline. A mother threatens to take her own life. Characters calmly discuss killing themselves as a form of loyalty. These are heavy ideas even for adults.

For kids, they can be deeply confusing and upsetting without the emotional tools to process them.

This Shogun parents guide really comes down to one thing. The show is made for adults, full stop. Shōgun is smart, layered, and beautifully made, but it is also violent, disturbing, and emotionally intense.

It fully earns its TV-MA rating. If your kids are curious because it looks epic, this is one to save for much later. Watch it on your own. They can wait.

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